PGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP Goosen fires 64 for 4-stroke win

He is only the third player ever to overcome Tiger Woods' 54-hole lead.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Tiger Woods tried to get a read on Retief Goosen when they faced each other in the Presidents Cup.
Forget about it.
"I mean, I played him in two matches and he didn't say one single word," Woods said, smiling at the memory. "That's hard to do."
It was more of the same Sunday.
Goosen was as unflappable as ever in the Tour Championship, becoming only the third player to knock Woods out of a 54-hole lead. The South African shot a bogey-free 64 for a stunningly easy four-stroke victory at East Lake.
As usual, Goosen went about his business with a stoic demeanor that borders on indifference. No fist pumping. Just a glimmer of a smile when it was over.
He barely acknowledged a great shot at No. 16, which set up the only birdie of the day on that monstrous hole. Other than mumbling a few words to his caddie, his time on the course was spent in silence.
"Some players get fired up," he said. "Obviously, Tiger has a way of getting fired up and showing it. Other players don't. I enjoy every moment of it when I'm out there playing. I might not show it."
Best final round
Certainly, no one would have guessed that Goosen was posting the best final round by a winner in the 18-year history of the season-ending tournament.
"Goose is one steady player," Woods said. "We all know that. You don't win two U.S. Opens by being erratic."
Woods and Jay Haas helped out, too.
They shared the lead going to the final round, four strokes ahead of the field. But, when both of them started poorly, Goosen seized the opportunity.
"I was very surprised that Jay and Tiger were a couple over fairly soon," Goosen said.
It was a rare collapse by Woods, whose shaky putter contributed to bogeys on three of the first seven holes. Then, he couldn't keep up with Goosen down the stretch, closing with a 2-over 72 to finish second.
"I think everybody is surprised," Goosen said. "We all thought he was going to be the guy to beat."
Oldest player to qualify
Haas, at 50, was the oldest player ever to qualify for the Tour Championship. He looked his age on the way to 75, including a double-bogey at No. 16 that finished him off. He has gone 277 events and 11 years since his last PGA Tour victory.
"When I play rounds like I did the first three days, I feel like I can still do this," Haas said. "When I play like I did today, I feel like I'm done."
Goosen clinched his victory at the 16th, a daunting 481-yard hole. After driving into the rough, he smoked a 5-iron from 195 yards that dropped in front of the flag and stopped 3 feet away.
He tapped in the putt for the only birdie on the hole in the final round.
"It's just one of those shots that came off at the right time," Goosen said nonchalantly. "I wasn't trying to hit it dead at the flag, just a touch left. But those things happen."
Won $1.08 million
Goosen finished at 11-under 269 and earned $1.08 million, a sweet way to finish a year in which he won his second U.S. Open in four years, missed five weeks after injuring himself on a jet ski, and wound up with his first multiple-win season on the PGA Tour.
The last time Woods lost when taking a lead to Sunday was at East Lake in the 2000 Tour Championship, won by Phil Mickelson. The only other member of that elite group is Ed Fiori, who passed Woods at the 1996 Quad City Classic, his third professional start.
"Very disappointing," Woods said. "I felt like I had a golden opportunity to win a tournament."